Monday, July 16, 2012

In spite of occasional rain, the 2012 Bastille Day celebration on Smith Street in Brooklyn was un grand succès once again. Smith Street was covered with sand by John Quadrozzi's cement company for the famous petanque tournament and thousands flocked to Boerum Hill for games, little glasses of Lillet, music and French food.

In petanque, competitors throw metal balls (boules), trying to get close to a little ball called a "pig" (cochonnet).

Deciding which ball is closest often takes a big discussion.

Milton and his band entertained outside Bar Tabac till 6, followed by François Weiss and his trio.

The event -- the biggest Bastille Day celebration in the U.S. -- took place this year one day after July 14, the date that marks the actual anniversary of the storming of the Bastille in 1789.

In the past decade, about 3,000 French families have moved into the
Carroll Gardens, Gowanus and Park Slope neighborhoods, according to
information gathered by Fabrice Jaumont, education attaché for the
French Embassy. (More about this at Carroll Gardens Patch.)

John Quadrozzi told the Brooklyn Eagle that his workers spread 12 cubic yards of sand on Smith Street. “We deliver it with our historic 1961 Mack Truck concrete mixer — it’s the first truck we had when we started the business, and it’s fully restored.”

Brooklyn's Bastille Day event was founded 10 years ago by Bette Stoltz along with restaurants Bar Tabac and Robin des Bois (now shuttered), and is sponsored by French apéritif company Ricard.